Acquiring New Factual Information: Effect of Prior Knowledge

One influential theory on object knowledge is feature-based model, which proposes that the object knowledge is organized by different feature types, such as sensory/perceptual and motor/functional ones. Previous studies have shown that prior knowledge enhances the processes of acquiring and remembering relevant information. However, whether the effect of prior knowledge is applied to different types of conceptual information over time remains unclear. In this study, we addressed this question by testing memory of different types of object features at various retention intervals. The level of prior knowledge was manipulated as object features from familiar and unfamiliar categories. In Experiments 1 and 2, sentences that described the perceptual and functional features of new words were presented. Sentences with episodic features were additionally presented in Experiment 2. The participants were then tested with recognition (Experiment 1) and recall (Experiment 2) tasks at different retention intervals. The results showed that prior knowledge enhanced memory for perceptual features but not for functional and episodic features. Such enhancement depended on the recollection process. In addition, the effect of prior knowledge on perceptual features remained stable over time. This study clarified how different types of new factual information were acquired and maintained and highlighted the importance of prior knowledge in acquiring new conceptual knowledge with the passage of time.